And Then You Came Along
by vickyt88
Summary: Quinn is a guidance counselor at a local high school. She calls in the parent of a student she is concerned about. Antonio and Quinn are in situations that are so similar and different at the same time.
1. Chapter 1

Quinn was tidying up the papers on her desk getting ready to leave for the day. There was a knock at her door.

She looked up to find Eva Dawson stood in the door way. She smiled at her and waved her in.

"Hi Eva" She greeted her with a smile "Is there something I can do for you?"

Quinn had taken on multiple roles at the school she was working at. She was a part time English literature teacher and a part time guidance councillor. She also helped with a few of the after-school clubs when she had time. Which was usually whenever her own daughter Beth was staying with her father and his new wife.

"I kind of need some advice" Eva told her taking a seat.

Quinn liked Eva. She was a bright, sweet girl. But Quinn had seen a lot of her since her parents had gotten divorced. It was hard for Eva who was only fifteen years old. She knew she had a younger brother as well. Eva had confided in her that they were both finding things difficult and were terrified of causing even more arguments between their parents. But equally they were sad that their Mom wouldn't let them visit their Dad.

It was a tough situation for any family to be in.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked her.

"My Mom has a new boyfriend" Eva told her "And he really doesn't like us"

"I'm sure that's not true" Quinn replied.

"No he told us" Eva said shaking her head "I know I'm fifteen and I can stay home alone, but she goes away for days at a time when he wants to take her off travelling, so it's just me to take care of Diego and I don't know what I'm doing"

Quinn's heart broke for her. She knew what it was like to be a teenager with no parent around and having somebody else to take care of. But Diego wasn't Eva's child he was her brother.

"Eva honey I really think you need to call your Dad and tell him what's going on" She told her "And I think you should tell your Mom how you feel"

"He's just going to get mad that I didn't tell him before" Eva said sinking down in her chair.

"Why don't I call him for you?" Quinn suggested.

She knew she shouldn't get so involved, but she did feel worried for those kids.

"Thank you Ms Fabray" Eva said standing up to leave.

"Do you need some extra time for your assignment?" She asked as Eva was leaving.

"No I've almost finished it" Eva replied.

Quinn didn't doubt it. Eva was a very intelligent girl and had a real talent for writing. Quinn always looked forward to reading her essays and stories.

Quinn knew Puck had Beth for the next week before he was being deployed so she decided to take the time to call Eva's father now that she didn't need to rush home. She pulled up Eva's file and looked for her emergency contacts.

She went back to her desk and dialled the number on the file. It went straight to voicemail so she decided to leave a message.

"Hi Mr Dawson" She said "This is Ms Fabray, I'm Eva's teacher, I was hoping I could talk to you about your daughter, she's not in trouble, I just had a few concerns"

She decided to grade some papers while she was at work still. She hated going back to an empty house. It felt strange when Beth was with Puck. Not that she would have it any other way. If it hadn't been for him and her Mom stepping up she never would have gotten to Yale. She would always be grateful and he was a good Dad.

She decided to call Beth just to check in on her. Puck's phone rang a few times before he picked up.

"Hey private Puckerman" She greeted him "Can I speak to my daughter please?"

"Sure Q" He replied passing the phone over to Beth.

"Hi Sweetie" Quinn said "Are you having a nice time with your Dad and Isabelle?"

"Yes" Beth replied "I'm not supposed to tell you that we're having pizza again for dinner tonight"

"Oh you're not?" She laughed shaking her head "You tell your Dad he better get some broccoli on that pizza"

"Eww Mom" Beth complained, Quinn could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"Love you" She said smiling.

"Love you too Mommy, see you soon"

"Bye Baby" She said hanging up the phone.

Quinn's stomach growling made it clear that she would need to give in and go home, to make dinner if for no other reason.

She hung her jacket up on the coat rack in the hallway, flicking on the lights as she shut the front door behind her. Beth had left her books out on the coffee table. Quinn busied herself tidying up before going into the kitchen and see what she had left in the house. She was overdue to go grocery shopping. She threw together the chicken and vegetables she had left into a make shift stir-fry. She knew she should sign up to one of those pre-packaged meal delivery services but she always convinced herself she could be organised and do a full food shop on the weekend and meal prep for the week ahead. It never happened.

She got changed into her sweatpants and took her dinner into the lounge. She sat back on the couch and put on Breakfast at Tiffany's. She fell asleep on the couch, waking up just after midnight. She took herself to bed. The house was always eerily quiet when Beth wasn't here. She was not a fan of living completely alone. She was still happy they had moved to Chicago. Puck had moved when he got engaged to Isabelle. He had met her at a wedding and fallen for her hard. He asked Quinn if she would consider relocating because he didn't want to miss out on time with Beth. Quinn had never wanted to stay in Lima and she didn't have any other family. All she had was Beth. She decided she owed It to Noah to give him the chance to be happy. They had never tried to make things work between them, and she had never wanted that. Their friendship was amazing. They had their own little sense of family that worked for them. Quinn had been very happy in the city. She felt like she had truly come into her own with her own home, work and making new friends.

She set her alarm and settled down to try and sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn smoothed out the skirt of her green skirt as she walked down the school hallway. Her heels were clicking along the floor. Her English class with one of her senior groups had ran long. She was convinced they were all mentally checked out ready for winter break even though it was weeks away still.

The glee club director had asked if she would help with their practise and she was running late. Melissa Peirce was a friend but she was also very impatient.

"Hi everyone" She greeted them taking a seat.

She spotted Eva sitting in the back and gave her a smile.

Melissa had written Girl Power on the board in big letters. Just like Mr Schue she was all about a good theme week.

"So" Melissa announced "This week we will be singing Kelly Clarkson Breakaway"

Quinn liked Kelly Clarkson as much as the next person but these kids needed songs that were more relevant to them, like ones that had been released within the last ten years.

"I've got a suggestion" She said carefully.

"Yes?" Melissa asked.

"I think a song that's a little more current would work better" She replied "The judges need to feel like it's their favourite song, what about 'Sit still look pretty'"

"I haven't come up with choreography for that" Melissia sighed "We need a set list for sectionals"

"Do we have anyone of the dance team, or cheerleaders?" She asked looking around the room "They can come up with our own choreography"

The girls let out a chorus of excited words of agreement discussing the song and dance ideas amongst themselves.

"Well you were a national champion" Melissa agreed grudgingly.

"Ok" Quinn said standing up in front of the group "Now you girls need to be tight for the girls' number, the judges love the feminine quality and St Jude's just don't have it, now remember we're all individuals and you need to show that, but it's also about synchronicity"

Quinn spent the rest of the session helping them come up with some simple but effective choreography. She was happy to see they were all joining in. They had done a once through with Quinn singing along with them until they got the lines down and sorted themselves out into who would be singing which parts.

After practice she went back to her office to collect her purse. She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Ms Fabray?" Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"God you scared me" She said putting her hand to her chest as she turned around.

She frowned as she took in the man in front of her. He was slightly taller than her with dark hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a leather jacket but his holster and gun were clearly visible. He was obviously with the police department.

"Is everything ok?" She asked looking at his gun.

He followed her eyeline and shook his had with a smile

"I'm Eva's father" He explained "Antonio Dawson, you left a message, I'm a detective, I was on a case. I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone"

"Yes" She said realisation dawning on her as she spotted the family resemblance "Come in"

She opened her office door and took a seat at her desk inviting him to do the same.

"Is everything ok with Eva's school work?" He asked "She's always on top of her homework"

"Academically your daughter is outstanding" She told him.

She smiled at the obvious look of pure pride on his face. It was clear he adored his daughter.

"I'm also the guidance councillor here" She explained "Eva has come to speak to me a few times"

"It's just a hard time for everyone right now" He interrupted "She'll be fine"

"I get that" She replied with a smile hoping he didn't feel like she was attacking him "I thought I should talk to you because Eva didn't feel comfortable, she said her Mother has a new boyfriend"

"I know" He nodded.

"Well" She continued "Eva said her Mother has been leaving for days at a time leaving Eva to care for Diego, she was worried about causing any arguments, but I insisted that she needed to tell you, she wanted me to"

She watched as his face contorted into a look of pure anger. Quinn couldn't imagine how she would feel if Puck and Isabella ever went off and left Beth alone. She would probably kill her.

"I know it's not my business" She added "It's just Eva asked for my help"

"Thank you for contacting me" He said softening slightly "Is Eva still here?"

"I just finished up with her at glee club" She nodded "You should still catch her; did you want me to show you where her locker is?"

Antonio nodded. Quinn grabbed her purse and jacket. She locked the door behind her and led him down the hallway towards Eva's locker.

Eva was stood with a group of her friends talking through the choreography they had just come up with. Her face lit up when she saw her Dad stood there. She said goodbye to her friends and ran over.

"Dad what are you doing here?" Eva asked throwing her arms around her.

"I was just talking to Ms Fabray" He replied hugging her back "I wish you had called me, we're going to fix this"

"Thank you" Eva said turning to Quinn.

"You know my door is always open" She told her "I'll see you in English tomorrow, I hope you've got that essay for me"

"It's ready" Eva nodded.

"Well then I look forward to reading it" She said with a smile "I'll see you later"

"Thank you" Antonio told her sincerely.

"No problem" She replied "It was nice meeting you detective"

"You too" He nodded.

Quinn stopped to talk with the group of girls still working on their choreography. She suggested a few changes. If she had more time she would have loved to take over the glee club. It had been such a special part of her life and she loved to see it do something similar for other kids.

She blushed when she realised Antonio was watching her while he was talking with Eva. She guessed she must look ridiculous showing the girls dance moves in the middle of the hallway. She said goodbye to them all and walked out to her car putting her jacket on as she crossed the parking lot. The was the one thing about Chicago. Its winters were brutal.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn usually loved her free weekends but it wasn't the same with Beth still with Puck and Isabelle. She would have just driven over but Puck had taken her away for the weekend. He wanted them to have a family holiday because he wasn't sure how long he would be gone for. Isabelle had asked if she would still be able to see Beth while Puck was gone. Quinn had reassured her that they would work something out. Isabelle and Puck had been together for the last six years; she was a big part of Beth's life and part of her family. Quinn knew it must be hard on Isabelle when Puck went away. It was hard for all of them.

She decided to put her boredom to good use. She was up early and had cleaned the house from top to bottom. She had showered and gotten dressed. Usually she only did dresses but it was bitter outside. She settled on dark skinny jeans, a long sleeved purple top and black ankle boots. She grabbed her jacket and car keys and decided it was time to do her least favourite job of the week. Grocery shopping. She especially hated going on a Saturday. It was always busy, she had to fight for a shopping trolley and she usually got one with a wonky wheel.

She parked up outside of the store and ran a hand through her curls. She stepped out of the car and crossed the lot into the store. As she predicted it was full of families. No one wanted to go after work. It was like the whole city waited for a Saturday morning or afternoon.

She had put together a list not that she would stick to it. Her main thing on the list were fruit and vegetables. She knew Puck would have her child hyped up on sugar and junk food all weekend. He liked to be the fun parent and treat her all the time. Quinn got to be the responsible parent who was boring. At least when it came to food, homework and bed times.

But Puck was away most of the time. So, she understood why he felt the need to be like that.

Quinn bumped into Donna Boden one of the teachers from the school she was working at. Donna was with her three-year-old Terrance.

"Hi" Quinn greeted them "How is my little man doing?"

"He had me up all night" Donna complained "Wallace was on shift so it was just me"

"Oh I remember those days" She laughed.

"Well it's Wallace's turn tonight" Donna said "I am going out with the girls"

"Good for you" She replied with a smile before turning to Terrance "Did you drive your Mommy crazy all night?"

"We're getting juice boxes" He told her with a grin.

"Well save one for me" She told him.

"Ok" He nodded.

"Wow you must be special" Donna said shaking her head "He doesn't share"

"I told you he's my man" Quinn shrugged.

"If you don't have Beth you should come tonight" Donna told her.

"She's away with Puck for the weekend before he gets deployed" She sighed "I think I may take you up on that, I hate that house when it's just me"

"It's just a few of the women from the school" Donna said "It'll be fun"

"I'll be there" She replied "Anyway I best get going, I need to get out of this place"

"Tell me about it" Donna said with a grimace "Have you seen the line?"

"I'm not looking" She laughed.

Quinn said goodbye to Donna and Terrance. It was over an hour before she was home and had put the groceries away. She switched on the TV. She had no idea what was on, just another housewives' reality show. She grabbed her phone to check through her emails.

There was one from Rachel Berry asking when she would come out to see her show. She sometimes thought Rachel lived in a bubble. That or she wasn't aware what her salary covered. Plane tickets for two with theatre tickets and a hotel room were not on the list.

She'd also had a text message from Santana from her Honeymoon just letting her know they had arrived safely and that she was going to come and visit her and Beth soon. She knew Beth would be excited to see Auntie Santana and Aunt Brittany. Quinn was excited but she had only just gotten Beth to stop calling Santana Auntie Snix. She knew full well that Santana's mission In life was to corrupt her child. They both loved Beth though and Beth loved them. Beth had been so excited to be a bridesmaid with Quinn and their wedding.

She checked her hair that was still sitting in loose curls. She decided to change into her black skinny jeans and a deeper purple V-neck top. She re-did her make-up. She decided not to go too over the top sticking with pale pinks and light colours. She grabbed her short leather jack on the way out to meet the girls at the bar. She took a cab there.

Quinn had never been to Molly's before. Donna had recommended it because some of the firefighters who worked with her husband owned the bar. It had a real nice friendly atmosphere. There were fairy lights hanging on the ceiling. It was quite busy. Donna had told her it was where anyone off duty who worked for the emergency services went when they weren't on shift. Quinn thought that was nice that they were supporting their own.

Melissa and Donna were sat by the end of the bar in deep conversation, clearly laughing and joking.

"Oh Quinn" Donna laughed "Melissa is upset that you think she has outdated taste in music"

"Compared to the kids yeah" She nodded with a smile

"It's not like I suggested Cindy Lauper" Melissa tutted.

"But that would have been cool" She retorted "You want current, original or classic"

"Can't you just do it?" Melissa whined.

"I have a 9-year-old who wouldn't be too please" She said shaking her head "But I'll help where I can"

"Ok enough work talk" Donna said putting her hands in the air.

"We have lives outside of work?" She joked.

Quinn didn't just work at work, she worked at home. Grading papers, planning lessons. Even during the breaks, it was just more work.

"Try explaining that to Wallace" Donna nodded "It's not a 24 hour shift, we have no idea what it's like to work all the time"

"What can I get you ladies?" The bartender asked.

"Can we get a bottle of white wine and three glasses Herrmann?" Donna asked.

"So how is Terrance liking pre-school?" Quinn asked taking a sip of wine.

"Wallace doesn't want him going" Donna sighed "So he only goes when Wallace is on shift, he really loves it, he's making new friends, his speech has come on even more"

"That's great" She replied.

Melissa told them about the new boxercise class she was thinking of joining. Melissa was a little closer to Quinn's age. She was always asking Quinn to join work out classes with her. Most of them she just didn't have time for. But she did promise to try out an after-work class on days when she didn't have Beth. It was nice to be out with the girls'. Donna and Melissa had been welcoming to her when she moved to Chicago and started at the school three years ago.

"So how was your date last weekend?" Quinn asked.

"Oh don't" Melissa groaned "Honestly you're lucky you don't date"

Quinn raised an eyebrow with an amused smile on her face. She wasn't sure that was completely true. It was just hard to date when you had a little girl to look after. She was a two-part deal.

"What happened this time?" Donna asked.

"We go to the restaurant" Melissa told them "And then his wife shows up"

"He was married?" Quinn asked shaking her head in disbelief.

"It gets worse" Melissa told her putting her head in her hands "It was all a ploy; they're looking for someone for a threesome"

"No" She gasped before collapsing into giggles.

"It's not funny" Melissa said indignantly.

"Not at all" Donna nodded tears streaming down her face.

Quinn didn't think she had ever met someone as unlucky as Melissa when it came to dating. She had a new story every week, each one worse than the time before.

Three glasses of wine in and they were comparing their worst dating stories. Donna had married the man she had the worst date with. Quinn had met Wallace. He wasn't someone who seemed like he was a great communicator but he was a good man. They were very happy together.

Quinn excused herself to go to the bathroom. She wasn't drunk but she was feeling a little bit warm. She was thankful she had changed out of her long-sleeved top earlier. She ran a hand through her hair and checked her make-up in the mirror before heading back out. She was looking down as she walked out of the ladies and back towards the bar. She walked straight into someone. She looked up as two strong hands grabbed onto her arms to steady her.

"Sorry" She apologised "I wasn't watching where I was going"

"Don't worry about it" He told her with a hint of recognition in his eyes "Ms Fabray?"

"Detective Dawson" She said with a smile recognising him.

"Just Antonio" He told her "I'm not at work"

"Quinn" She said introducing herself.

He wasn't wearing his leather jacket. She looked down at his arms as he was still holding hers. She was impressed. She had figured he might have a good body but the t-shirt he was wearing showed that. She was a bit taken aback that she had considered what his body was like. Clearly the wine was doing its job a little too well.

"Sorry" He apologised moving his hands as he followed her eyeline.

"Anyway" She said shaking her head "Weren't you heading…"

"Yeah" He nodded looking over at the men's room.

"It was nice seeing you again Antonio" She told him.


	4. Chapter 4

Antonio shook his head as he caught himself checking her out from behind as she walked away. Once he had been to the men's room had had gone back to join his friends from the intelligence unit at their table. He picked up a bottle of beer and took a drink while looking over at Quinn Fabray who was laughing with her friends, clearly having a great time.

"Who's that?" Kim asked raising an eyebrow.

Out of all of them it would obviously, Kim that would notice that he was distracted. Kim noticed everything. But she also had a big mouth, which meant everyone else was now staring over at the bar as well. Thankfully Quinn didn't seem to notice.

"Nothing" He shrugged "I just bumped into Eva's teacher"

"Why didn't I ever get a teacher that looked like that" Adam whistled looking her up and down.

"You were in school enough to know what your teachers looked like?" Kim asked with a smirk.

"Is she single?" Jay asked.

"I don't know" Antonio sighed "And you're not asking her out either"

"Sorry" Jay laughed "I didn't realise you were into her"

"I'm not" He replied "I just met her, she's Eva's teacher"

"Eva's hot teacher" Adam added earning himself a glare from Kim. "Well she is"

"You know" Kim said "You and Laura ended a while ago, it's ok to buy a woman a drink"

"I can't get involved with someone" Antonio replied shaking his head.

"It's a drink not a ring" Jay pointed out rolling his eyes "If you don't I will"

He did think she was beautiful. Eva had talked about her non-stop since he had taken her and Diego to his following his meeting at the school. Kim was right. Antonio hadn't so much as been on a date since he and Laura had separated. He had never considered himself as a casual guy. But he had been with Laura for 15 years. He had never really tried. And for some reason he was bothered by the thought of Jay asked her out. He knew the types of girls Jay took home and how quickly he dropped them, not including Erin. Quinn Fabray didn't seem to fit the bill.

He crossed the bar and took a seat next to her ignoring the look of surprise from Donna who he knew through his sister Gabby.

"Hey" Quinn said with a smile turning to face him.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked giving her his best winning smile.

She looked a little taken aback by the offer, but she recovered a moment later.

"Sure" She replied

"Gabby" He called to his sister behind the bar "Can we get another round?"

Gabby raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead she just nodded with a smirk on her face and grabbed another bottle of beer from the fridge and poured a glass of wine.

"I hope I'm not interrupting your night" He added to Donna.

"Not at all Antonio" Donna said shaking her head "I should be getting home soon anyway"

As if on cue like any good wingman Jay had appeared at the bar to talk to Quinn's other friend.

Quinn waved goodbye to Donna before turning her attention back to Antonio.

"How is your weekend going?" He asked as Gabby put down their drinks.

"Well it was too quiet" She replied "But then Donna suggested this and wine happened, how about yours?"

"The kids moved in with me after our talk" He told her "They're at sleepovers tonight, but it's been busy"

"That's so great though" She told him putting a hand on his arm before self-consciously removing it.

Antonio was relieved that Quinn already know that he was divorced and had two kids. That was always a daunting subject to bring up with someone.

"Eva won't shut up about you and this performance" He told her.

"I've got the talent and all the moves" She joked.

"I'll bet" He said with a smirk.

"Detective Dawson are you trying to flirt with me?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

He wasn't sure how but that simple eyebrow raise was about the sexiest thing he had ever seen.

He coughed uncomfortably.

"Antonio" She said putting a hand on his arm "I'm just teasing"

"Wow" Jay said on his way passed "You have no game"

Antonio glared at him. Speaking to a woman like Quinn was intimidating. She was beautiful, intelligent, not to mention younger than him and probably with a lot less baggage.

"So how are the kids adjusting?" She asked moving them back onto safer ground.

"Good so far" He nodded "They love their Mom, but even though I work late they know I'll make it home"

"It's tough doing it all alone" She agreed taking a sip of her wine "But you're so good with Eva, when I was watching you the other day"

"You were watching me?" He asked mimicking her eyebrow raise.

"It was really sweet" she nodded with a smile. "So are you going to ask me out?"

Quinn wasn't usually so forward and bold but the wine was making her brave. She had admired the way he was with his daughter. She thought his mixture of being flirty and nervousness was cute. He was so obviously a guy that was used to being in charge and was so confident. Him doubting himself was sweet. And it didn't hurt that he was hot. It had been a long time since she had dated an older guy, the last time he had been a creep. Antonio wasn't too much older but he was a man who looked like he could handle himself. That was something she found incredibly attractive. She was sure someone her own age wouldn't be able to handle her home situation.

"I have two kids" He told her.

"I know that" She laughed.

"And an ex-wife" He added.

"I know that too" She replied.

"Ok" He said with a smile "Quinn would you like to go to dinner with me?"

"I mean you do have a lot of baggage" She sighed teasing before breaking out into a smile "I would love to"

Antonio wanted to add that he wasn't sure what he could commit to so he only wanted something fun, to enjoy each other's company. But he didn't want to talk himself out of a date. He didn't even know what she was looking for yet. He didn't want to get too ahead of himself.

"Are you free tomorrow?" He asked.

"Pick me up at seven" She replied.


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn was sat on her bed completely frustrated sat in her robe. She had no idea where Antonio was taking her so she couldn't decide what to wear. She sent him a message asking but all he said back was that it was a surprise. She decided to try a different approach.

Ok but is it casual or dressy? – Q

It's ok to dress up, but whatever you like – A

Quinn rolled her eyes. There was no point asking a man. He didn't get that there were different types of dressy. Like would jeans and a nice top work, was it a cocktail dress, a ballgown? So many possibilities. She decided on a white crop top with sleeves and a high waisted black skirt so it showed off just a hint of skin. Sexy but still classy. She tied her hair in a loose curly ponytail with just a few curls framing her face. She found her little black clutch purse putting in the essentials. Lip stick, keys and phone. The last thing she did was put her shoes on. She had offered to meet Antonio at the restaurant but he had insisted on picking her up. She was just putting in her earrings when she heard the doorbell. She was surprised that she felt so nervous.

She opened the door. Antonio was right on time. He was Wearing a suit with a dark shirt and tie.

"Woah" He said as she opened the door "You look amazing"

"Thank you" She replied "so do you"

She couldn't stop herself from straightening his tie that was slightly askew.

"Sorry" She apologised "So where are we going?"

Antonio took her to a beautiful Italian restaurant with tealights on every table and a crisp white linen table cloth. He ordered from the wine list as the waiter poured glasses of water at the table. Quinn didn't have the heart to tell him she didn't really drink red wine all that often as he had clearly gone to a lot of effort.

The whole menu looked amazing, she struggled to pick something. She eventually settled on the Chicken Parmesan.

"How was your day?" He asked as the waiter took their menus away.

"Far too quiet" She replied shaking her head "What about you?"

"I'm working on a case" He told her "So after I picked up the kids I went to work"

"You know you could have cancelled if you've got a lot going on" She said taking a sip of her wine.

"I didn't want to cancel" He said simply.

The look he was giving her gave her butterflies. She hadn't felt that way since high school. She hadn't really let herself.

"What do you usually do with your weekends?" He asked.

"I've usually got my daughter" She replied "I honestly feel a bit lost without her"

"You have a daughter?" He asked slightly caught off guard.

Quinn realised she knew all about his family life because of Eva but she hadn't actually brought hers up yet. She wasn't normally so comfortable on a first date.

"Beth" She nodded "She's 9"

"Where's Beth tonight?" He asked trying to get a feel for her situation.

"Away for the weekend with her Dad and his Wife" She replied.

"So you're divorced?" He asked.

"Never married" She replied shaking her head "It's a little complicated, but we're friends and he is in the air force so I let him have more time when he's going to be deployed, the rest of the time we split our time, it's why I moved to Chicago so he could have better access"

"That sounds nothing like my situation" He said shaking his head.

"Well Puck and I were never married and we went through our issues when I was pregnant" She shrugged.

"Puck?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Noah Puckerman" She corrected herself.

"You must have been young" He said considering how young she looked now. "How old are you?"

"I was" She nodded "But I had Noah and my Mom, they made sure I could go to college and make something of myself for me and Beth, I'm 27"

She was fully aware that he would be doing the math in his head but he didn't show anything on his face. There was usually a look of judgement.

"Where did you go to school?" He asked.

"Yale" She replied "did you always know you wanted to join the police force?"

"Always" He said "I can't imagine doing anything else"

She found that Antonio was really easy to talk to. They both understood how hard it was to date with kids to consider. He told her about his love of boxing. She told him about her passion for performing whether it was dance, acting or singing.

"I can't picture you as a cheerleader" He said shaking his head.

"I've still got the uniform" She laughed not sure if it had been a compliment or not.

"Oh really?" He asked.

"That wasn't an invitation" She giggled.

"That's just cruel" He said pretending to be hurt.

They ordered cheesecake for dessert and Quinn thought she was in heaven. It was her favourite.

Antonio didn't know where to look. She was making that cake look orgasmic. He wasn't aware cheesecake could be so sexual and he was sure she wasn't trying to be.

They decided to go for a walk after dinner. Antonio gave Quinn his jacket because she hadn't brought one out with her. He offered her his arm and she linked hers through his.

The city could be surprisingly beautiful at night. She could even spot a few stars in the sky. She rested her head on Antonio's shoulder as they took a seat on a bench near a park.

"Thank you for tonight" She told him "I had a really nice time"

"Me too" He replied putting an arm around her waist.

His thumb was stroking the bare piece of skin at the waistband of her skirt. Quinn felt a shiver. Antonio obviously thought it was because of the cold because he pulled her closer. She wasn't the kind of girl that made the first move. She never had to. But she knew with all the doubts Antonio had about himself and his situation that he probably wouldn't. He was so clearly a good guy and she wanted to see what could happen. So, she decided to try and erase those doubts.

"Antonio" She said so he turned around to look at her.

She looked up at him through her lashes to see if he would take the hint.

"Quinn I…" He started.

She took hold of his head and closed the gap between them kissing him softly at first. She snaked her arms around his neck as he kissed her back putting one hand on her face and cupping her face with the other. She ran her fingers through his hair. It was just as good as she thought it would be. She couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

"What were you saying?" She asked.

"I have no idea" He replied shaking his head, he lifted her chin and kissed her again.


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn smiled the whole of the next day at work remembering the night before. She had been kissing Antonio on her doorstep for a good ten minutes like a teenager sneaking home from a date. She was sure she entertained the neighbours at least. They had agreed to take things slow and just see where it went. She loved that he had a job he was passionate about and that he was a family man. They were qualities she found so sexy.

He had called her the next day at lunch time to check how her day was going. He warned her he was snowed under with the case he was on but he wanted to see her on his next day off. He promised to keep her posted. Quinn wanted to see him again but she completely understood that his hours weren't conventional. She told him to let her know when he was off next and that they could try and work something out.

Her smile only got brighter after her work day ended. She was on her way to pick Beth up from school. She felt like she hadn't seen her little girl in a lifetime. She pulled up outside of the school. She saw Beth in the playground stood with her teacher and the other children.

A beaming smile lit up her beautiful face as she spotted Quinn. She pointed her out to her teacher and ran up to throw her arms around her.

"I'm guessing you missed me" Quinn said hugging her back tightly.

"Yes" Beth told her "I like being with Dad and Isabelle, but it's not the same without you there"

"I missed you too sweetie" Quinn told her stroking her hair "Well let's go home and you can tell me all about your trip"

Quinn grabbed Beth's wheel along case Puck had dropped off with her at the school that morning and Beth carried her school bag to the car. Quinn put them both in the trunk of the car. Beth chatted happily about her day at school on the way back home.

Beth followed Quinn through to the kitchen while she started to make dinner. She was making it from scratch even though she was exhausted. She was sure all Beth had eaten in the last week was pizza and more pizza.

"So did you have a nice weekend away?" Quinn asked as she crushed garlic for her sauce.

"We saw Uncle Jake and Grandma Maggie" Beth told her.

"You didn't see Grandma Judy?" She asked

"No she wasn't home" Beth replied pulling out her school book from her bag to start on her homework.

Quinn didn't believe that for a second. Puck just wouldn't have thought that Beth should see Quinn's mother while she was in Lima. Judy wasn't so close with Quinn now that she had remarried but she still adored her granddaughter.

"Did your Dad tell you when he was going to call?" She asked changing the subject.

"He said on Wednesday" Beth nodded.

Puck always made sure to schedule times to call Beth so she knew he was ok. It was hard for him to schedule regular times; Quinn always did her best to keep Beth calm when he was late on a call. It was harder now that she was older and understood better what her Dad did.

After dinner Beth helped Quinn with the dishes. Quinn sent her upstairs to get ready for bed and told her she could pick out a movie when she was in her pyjamas.

Quinn's phone rang while she was finishing up in the kitchen wiping down the surfaces.

"Hello?" She said balancing the phone between her neck and ear as she dried her hands.

"Hey" Antonio said.

"Antonio" She said with a smile as she took the phone properly in her hands "Is everything ok?"

"Sorry" He said "I know I already called, it's just been a rough day, I wanted to hear a friendly voice"

"Any time" She told him "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't" He sighed "tell me about your day instead?"

"Well" She teased leaning against the kitchen counter "I was pretty happy this morning because I had a great date last night and the guy called me today"

"Oh yeah?" He asked "Was she suave and sophisticated?"

"Meh" She shrugged "He was alright"

"Doesn't sound like he's good enough for you" Antonio said with a smile.

"Oh he's got other things going for him" She replied

"What's that?" He asked.

She could hear the smirk that was undoubtedly on his face. Before she could answer she heard him cough.

"What's up Sarge?" He asked "No one"

Quinn giggled, she liked this flirty confident side to Antonio now he had moved his initial doubts. She peeked to the stairs to make sure Beth wasn't on her way down.

"The things I wanted him to do" She teased "He seemed like he knew what to do with his hands"

"I do" He told her quietly "I've got to go"

Quinn grinned as she put her phone down. She ran upstairs to check on Beth who was trying to plait her hair. She walked up behind her taking over to put it into a French braid.

"Do you know what movie you want?" Quinn asked kissing the top of her head.

"Can we watch Moana?" Beth asked.

"You go and get it ready and I'll be down in a minute" She replied.

Quinn put on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top so she was more comfortable. She threw her hair up into a high pony. She cuddled up with Beth on the sofa. Beth was curled up in her side resting her head. Quinn put her arm around her stroking her hair. Quinn wasn't sure how many times she had seen Moana in the last few months, she had lost count after ten. She looked down at the end of the movie. Beth was sound asleep. Quinn lifted her and carried her up to bed. She was thankful that Beth was still light enough for her to do that. She kissed the top of her head goodnight and switched off the bedroom light.

She went back down to the living room and switched the DVD player off. She was mindlessly flicking through the TV channels while she graded papers. It must have been 10:30 when her phone buzzed on the coffee table.

Can I see you? - A

When? – Q

There was a light knock at the door. Quinn furrowed her brows confused as she went to the front door. She opened it slowly peering out. Antonio was stood on her doorstep.

"What are you…" She started.

He grabbed her face and kissed her fiercely. Quinn grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. He pushed the door shut behind him without breaking the kiss.

"What's going on" She asked in a low voice between kisses.

"It's a really rough case" He replied "You make me feel better, and I wanted to show you what I can do with my hands"

He was a little aggressive but Quinn found herself turned on with how dominant he was being.

"Beth's upstairs" She warned him as he back her into the living room kissing her neck.

She stifled a moan biting her lip. He sat down on the couch pulling her down on top of him so she was straddling his hips. She could feel him through his pants.

"You're so beautiful" He told her pulling out her hair tie and running her hands through her hair. His hands roamed over her body. One hand on her hip the other grazing the skin under her breast almost asking permission. His eyes seemed darker. Quinn kissed but stopped when his hands pulled at the waistband of her sweatpants.

"I'm sorry" She sighed looking down.

"Don't be" He told her lifting her eyes to his.

She really did want him but it was all moving too fast for her. She had only ever been with Puck one time and then a boyfriend in college but even then, sex hadn't been a big part of their relationship. After getting pregnant the celibacy club motto 'All about the teasing and not about the pleasing' had gained more relevance in her life. She had never had time for that. She had a baby and was trying to graduate from Yale. She felt a little embarrassed about how inexperienced she was. She wanted to go there with Antonio, but not so quickly. And certainly, not on her couch while her daughter was asleep upstairs.

"I haven't really…"She started to explain "Not for a long time, I do really want you but this is just too fast, and I kind of don't want the first time to be here"

"You're right" He told her "It should be special"

Quinn wasn't sure if he meant that. Antonio was in his late thirties; he may have been with his ex for a long time but he was a lot more experienced than she was. She wasn't completely convinced that he wouldn't just ditch her for someone who was a bit more free and easy.

"I mean it" He reassured her seeing the doubt in her eyes.

He kissed her again more gently this time. She sat back down beside him resting her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her stroking her arm. They sat for a while longer just talking. He eventually got up to leave. He had his kids at home and she had her daughter upstairs. It was strange for Quinn. She was the type to fall hard and fast for anyone. There was just something about Antonio Dawson. She sighed as she lay down in bed. She couldn't have fallen for a more complicated person. Not only did he have an ex-wife she had heard a lot about. He had two children, one of them was her student. All she could do was be hopeful that things would work out how she was hoping.


	7. Chapter 7

Quinn and Antonio had been seeing each other for a few weeks. They didn't get that much time together because they both had their kids full time and Antonio's work took up a lot of time. But had had made sure he called her almost every day. He would come around for a few hours once Beth was in bed when he could. They had even managed to go out for dinner twice when Isabelle had taken Beth out.

Beth was getting ready for a sleepover at her friend Savannah's house. It was Savannah's birthday so Quinn was busy wrapping up the birthday present Beth had picked out, while Beth packed her pyjama's.

"Mom can I ask you a question?" Beth asked sitting beside her on the couch.

"Of course you can" She replied as she finished with the wrapping.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Beth asked.

Quinn raised an eyebrow confused about where Beth had gotten that from.

"I heard a man's voice here, and you're more smiley" Beth explained.

Quinn thought back to a few nights ago. Antonio had come over after work for an hour. They hadn't been able to speak for a few days because of a case he had been on. He had brought over a take away after work and they had just talked for a while before he had to go home to his kids.

"Do you mind?" She asked tilting her head slightly watching Beth's face for a reaction.

"No" Beth replied shaking her head "Daddy has Isabelle, is he nice like her?"

Quinn smiled. She was so lucky that Beth was so secure and understanding. Beth had never gone through a family break up. They had always been the same. She couldn't imagine it would be as easy for Antonio's kids. She knew how hard it was on Eva when her Mom started dating. She hoped if they did take that step to tell them that she would be happier with this situation. Quinn liked Eva and didn't want to ruin the trust Eva had given her.

"Yes" She replied "His name is Antonio and he is very nice, he's a detective and he has two children as well"

"Can I meet him?" Beth asked "Do you think he will like me?"

"How could he not?" She laughed pulling her into a hug.

She hadn't been planning on telling Beth anything just yet but she was glad Beth had asked. It was a weight of her shoulders. She just hoped Antonio wouldn't mind.

Quinn picked up the present and Beth grabbed her bag for the sleepover. She drove her to Savannah's house. There was a living room full of excited 9 and 10 year olds. Quinn didn't envy Savannah's parents at all. She was sure when it came to Beth's birthday she would have to do the same. Thankfully Beth was one of the youngest in her grade to Quinn had a few months to think about that. In the meantime, it was the start of Christmas break and she was not at all organised with her Christmas shopping list.

She sent a text Antonio on the way to her car.

Beth heard us talking the other night and asked if I had a boyfriend, hope you don't mind that I told her – Q

Quinn had just put on her seat belt when her phone started to ring.

"Hello" She answered

"Hey" Antonio said "What are you doing tonight?"

"I just dropped Beth at her sleepover" She replied "I was going to head out and do some Christmas shopping"

"Do you want to come over after?" Antonio asked

"Sure" She replied realising she had never seen his place "Text me your address"

It was around 8:30 when she pulled up outside of Antonio's building. The trunk of her car was full of shopping bags. She had gone a little overboard with Beth's presents but that was nothing new.

She knocked on the door. Antonio greeted her with a smile. He was in his signature jeans and dark t-shirt that clung to him.

"Come in" He said moving aside to she could pass.

Quinn looked around the apartment. It was tidy and cosy. There was an amazing smell coming from the kitchen.

"You cooked?" She asked raising an eyebrow

"I did" He replied with a smile

"You didn't tell me you could cook" She laughed "I thought you lived on take-out"

"I save it for special occasions" He replied with a shrug "Or special people"

Antonio led her to the table that was already set. He took her coat and pulled out a seat for her. She couldn't help but smile at how cute he was being.

Antonio hadn't been lying about cooking being his hidden talent. Dinner was amazing. Antonio picked up their wine glasses and carried them over to the coffee table taking a seat on the couch. Quinn smoothed out her dress as she joined him curling her legs up under her.

"Where are Eva and Diego?" She asked resting her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her.

"They're out with friends" Antonio replied "Diego asked if he could stop at my Dads tonight because he's taking him fishing tomorrow and Eva is at a friend's house"

"It's nice that your parents are so close by" She told him.

Quinn knew Beth would love to live close to her grandparents.

"What about your parents?" He asked.

"That's a long story" She sighed not wanting to tell him things about her past that she thought he would judge her on.

"Quinn" He said taking her hand "I want this to work with us, I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, I want to know you"

Quinn bit her lip. She had been told that before. It had never ended well. People thought she either had too much baggage or she was easy.

"I haven't seen my Dad in over ten years" She said softly "He kicked me out when I was sixteen and he found out I was pregnant, my Mom just let him, I stayed with Puck for a while but things weren't great between us then. My friend Mercedes and her family took me in, they became like family to me. Then right before I went into labour my Mom came back, she told me she had left my Dad and told me I didn't have to give Beth up I could come and live with her. For a while things were good, My Mom and Puck moved to New Haven when I was accepted into Yale. My mom did so much to put me through college and helped look after Beth. Puck worked hard for us to. I can't ever repay them for that. I would never have gone to college or left Lima. But then my Mom got remarried and now she doesn't talk to me again, it's like if there is a man in her life it takes priority. But I don't need her now. She still visits Beth every now and then, so that's the main thing. I have a sister but we were never close either so we don't talk. Beth and Puck are all I have. I know that's nothing like your life"

"I'm sorry you went through all that" He told her.

"I still had some really good times" She shrugged "Everything gets easier with time"

"Come to my parents Christmas party tomorrow" He said

"What?" She asked laughing in disbelief.

"I'm serious about you Quinn" He told her pulling her chin up so she was looking him in the eye "I'm going to tell Eva and Diego about us tomorrow, and I would really like it if you came, and Beth"

"Ok" She agreed with a smile "What's a Dawson family get together like?"

"Crazy" He laughed "It's a dressy kind of event, they invite the whole family, cousins, aunts and uncles and friends"

"Maybe I spoke too soon" She giggled.

"They'll love you" He reassured her.

"And your kids?" She asked.

"Eva already does" He replied.

"As her teacher" She pointed out.

"I am not worried about my kids or my family liking you" He reassured her "I'm worried about Beth liking me"

"Trust me you have nothing to worry about" She laughed "That girl is so well adjusted I'm surprised she's related to me or Puck"

"She took it well?" He asked.

"Puck and I were never together, she never saw us like that" Quinn shrugged "He met Isabelle when Beth was three so she was used to her Dad and Isabelle being together, she's never seen me with anyone but it's not a shock for her"

Antonio went to pour her another glass of wine.

"Oh I shouldn't" She said "I have to drive home"

"You could always stay" He told her.

They had never gone any further than kissing. She knew that wouldn't be the case if she spent the night. Not that Antonio would insist but she didn't think she would be able to hold back. They had been dating for a month. He was so sweet and understanding. He had made such an effort with dinner, and inviting her to meet his family.

"I'd like that" She replied with a smile relaxing back while he poured her another glass of wine.


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn woke up the next morning with Antonio's arms still around her. She smiled as he squeezed her.

"Good morning" He said kissing her shoulder.

She turned over to face him. He pushed back a piece of hair that had fallen into her eyes.

"Hey" She said softly drawing lazy circles on his chest.

Quinn had never experienced anything last night before. He had made her feel so beautiful and wanted. Usually she would be so insecure about her body and her lack of experience. And she was a little bit, but Antonio was amazing. She was not disappointed. Not only did he make her feel beautiful, he knew exactly what he was doing.

"I guess I should get going" She sighed starting to sit up.

"Not yet" He said grabbing her face and kissing her.

He laid her back down on the bed. His lips moved down to her neck.

"I can stay a little longer" She breathed.

Antonio left her in bed to shower and make breakfast. She couldn't keep the smile from her face. They'd had an amazing night and morning together. She knew she had well and truly fallen for him. It scared her a little bit. She didn't normally let anyone get close. But she was happy.

Antonio reassured her that his kids wouldn't be back until the afternoon. He had put on a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips when he came out from the shower. Quinn tried not to stare at his bare chest.

She bit her lip remembering what those hands had been doing just minutes before.

"Are you sexually objectifying me?" He asked with a smirk catching her watching him.

"Do you mind?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

She sat up holding just a sheet to her bare chest.

Antonio took in her messy curls, sparkling eyes. Knowing that she was completely naked under the bedsheet was making it hard to leave. But if he got back into that bed he knew he wouldn't leave it.

He went to make them breakfast while Quinn was in the shower. He was just plating up the bacon and scrambled eggs when he felt two arms around his waist.

"Are you hungry?" He asked turning around so he was facing her.

He realized that she was wearing his shirt.

"I hope you don't mind" She said.

The top few buttons were undone.

"Not at all" He said putting his hands on her waist.

The breakfast lay forgotten on the side. Quinn didn't know when they would get time alone like this again and she didn't want to waste it. He had brought out a side of her she was surprised by. But she was happy to explore it.

It was a little after eleven when Quinn was dressed and ready to go at pick up Beth from her sleepover. Antonio had insisted on walking her out to her car. He kissed her goodbye and had told her not to stress about his family's party that night. She knew he was going to talk to Eva and Diego that afternoon which made her a little bit nervous.

Beth was beyond hyper leaving Savannah's house. She was excited telling Quinn all about the games they had played and how much fun they'd had. She was happy she'd had such a good time with her friends. Quinn told her that they had been invited to a Christmas party that night where she would meet Antonio, Eva and Diego. Beth couldn't have been happier. Beth had always been social and outgoing. She had Puck's easy-going funny nature. Quinn had always made sure to bring that out. Her household was nothing like the strict one she had been brought up in where you were taught to act a certain way and never just be yourself.


	9. Chapter 9

Quinn held Beth's hand as they walked up to the impressive looking house. She had dressed Beth in a navy-blue party dress leaving her long hair blonde hair down. She had changed her own outfit at least five times. She had eventually settled on her red geojacuard print fit and flare dress. She hoped it had the right balance of being dressy enough but not too revealing. The only parent she had ever met was Puck's Mom when she was 16 and pregnant. She felt like a silly teenager being so nervous, but she couldn't help it.

As if sensing her nerves Beth squeezed her hand back and gave her a big smile. Quinn pulled herself together. If her 9-year-old could hold it together then she needed to.

Quinn knocked on the door. A beautiful older looking woman with her hair in an impressive updo opened the door.

"Hello" Quinn greeted her with a smile.

Antonio appeared in the doorway. He had spotted Quinn from across the room.

"Mom" He said appearing beside the older woman "This is Quinn and her daughter Beth, Quinn this is my Mother Camila"

"It's very nice to meet you" Quinn smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too" Camila replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Excuse me I need to check on the caterers"

"Come on in" Antonio told her taking her coat. "You look beautiful"

"Thank you" She replied as he kissed her cheek conscious of the fact that Beth was there.

"And you must be Beth" Antonio said smiling at the smaller version of Quinn "I'm Antonio, it's nice to meet you"

"Hi" Beth said with a bright smile "My mom's really nervous, but she's been smiling all day"

"Really?" He laughed "Well I was a little nervous too, but I'm glad I got to meet you"

"Are you really a detective?" Beth asked.

"I am" He replied with a smile.

"So, you catch bad people?" She asked

"I try to" He told her.

"That's cool" She said with a smile.

"Come on honey, take your coat off" Quinn said.

Antonio took it from her and hung it up by the front door.

"That is a very pretty dress" Antonio told her earning himself another beaming smile.

Beth looked over to the living room and saw a group of children around her age playing games.

"Mom can I go and play?" Beth asked.

"Wow she's not shy, is she?" Antonio laughed.

"Not even a little bit" Quinn smiled "You can if you want to sweetie"

"Come on and I'll introduce you to everyone" Antonio told her.

Quinn smiled as he took Beth over to his cousins and second cousins as well as friends' children. He obviously came from a big close family. Quinn was a little sad that Beth didn't have anything like that. She watched as he sat with Beth joining in the conversation about whatever they were playing. Just relaxed and being silly. It was probably the most attractive he had ever looked, just relaxed being the family man that he was.

"Hi" Eva said shyly coming over to her.

"Hi Eva" She said warmly.

"My Dad told me you're dating" Eva said.

"Are you ok with that?" She asked worrying how Eva was taking the news "I know it might be a little strange for you"

"What do I call you?" Eva asked

"Well we're not at school so you can just call me Quinn if you want to" She told her.

"Can I still talk to you now?" Eva asked.

Eva had confided in Quinn a lot over the year. She would hate it if Eva felt like she couldn't do that anymore.

"If we're in school or not you can still talk to me" She reassured her "Same rules as school, as long as you're not in any danger or it's something effecting your health, whatever you tell me stays between us"

"Then I don't mind" Eva told her "But don't you think my dad's a little old"

Quinn giggled as Eva wrinkled her nose.

"No, I don't" She laughed before pointing out her daughter "That's my little girl Beth, I know she'd really like to meet you"

Quinn smiled shaking her head as she walked over with Eva. Antonio had only intended to introduce Beth to the kids her age and then come back to Quinn. But Beth had him joining in with their game of charades.

"Hey Beth honey I think maybe Antonio has to go and talk to some other people" She told her gently.

"Ok" Beth shrugged with a smile.

"I want to introduce you to someone" She told her.

Beth told her new friend to wait for her. Quinn really admired how Beth could just settle in anywhere. She had no idea how she did it.

"This is Eva" She said introducing Antonio's daughter "Eva this is my daughter Beth"

"You have really pretty hair" Beth told her with a smile.

"Thanks" Eva laughed "So do you, can I be on your team?"

Beth nodded taking hold of Eva's hand and letting her join in their game.

Antonio put an arm around Quinn's waist and pulled her in to kiss her cheek. He took her hand lacing his fingers through hers and led her through into the hallway where the most amazing Christmas tree she had ever seen was standing.

"Wow" She said looking up at it "Your parents go all out"

"Every year" He nodded with a smile "Wait 'til you meet my crazy aunt and my sister"

He walked over to the bar that had been set up and got a bottle of beer for himself and a glass of wine for Quinn.

"Eva came around" She said with a smile.

"I didn't doubt it" He replied "Beth is a character"

"She's something" Quinn laughed "She's just perfect"

"She looks like you" He said with a smile.

Quinn lit up when she talked about her daughter. She was always beautiful but when she was around her daughter she was so full of pride and love she had an extra sparkle about her.

"Where's Diego?" Quinn asked taking a sip of wine.

Antonio led her to the library where Diego was playing chess with Antonio's father. Who was losing badly.

"Hey" Antonio greeted them.

"Well hello" Antonio's dad said standing up with a smile "You must be Quinn, I'm Ramon"

"Nice to meet you Mr. Dawson" She said shaking his hand.

"Ramon" He corrected pulling her into a hug.

"Ok Ramon" She laughed pulling back.

It was a much warmer welcome than she had received from Camila.

"You must be Diego" She said turning to the younger boy who was sat at the chess table.

"Hi" Diego said simply.

Quinn could tell it would take Diego a little time to warm up to her. She knew from Eva that he was struggling being away from his Mom, so it must be hard to meet his Dad's girlfriend.

"You looked like you would have beaten your Grandfather in five moves" She commented "Maybe we can have a game sometime"

"Three" Diego corrected her "You play?"

"Not for a long time" She replied with a smile "It would be nice to give it a go"

"You play chess?" Antonio asked.

"I was more than just a cheerleader" She laughed.

"You were that annoying perfectionist girl" He laughed.

"No that was Rachel Berry" She said shaking her head "I was a close second"

Quinn waved to Ramon and Diego as Antonio took her to go and find his sister. She knew that Gabriela was who Antonio was closest to out of everyone in his family, outside of his kids. She peeked through to the living room where Eva doing Beth's hair in some pretty clips. She smiled at them.

Gabriela was with her fiancé Matt Casey who was a lieutenant at fire house 51. She was a beautiful woman with shoulder length brown hair and big dark eyes. She was wearing an amazing little black dress that made Quinn feel like she hadn't made enough effort with her own dress.

"Gabby" Antonio said pulling his sister into a hug, before turning to shake Matt's hand "Matt"

"Tonio it's good to see you" Gabby said "You must be Quinn"

"Hi" She said with a smile a little overwhelmed at the number of people she was meeting, introducing her family would take seconds. "Antonio's told me a lot about you"

"He talks about you all the time" Gabby told her "So does Eva, it's nice to finally put a face to the name"

"You talk about me?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Quinn this, Quinn that "Gabby nodded "So amazing, so beautiful…."

"Ok that's enough" Antonio laughed "I don't talk that much"

"Eva does say you're her favourite teacher" Gabby told her sincerely "She's excited about something new she's writing every time I see her"

"She's so talented" Quinn nodded "She'll be off at an ivy league school and winning awards before you know it"

"You think so?" Antonio asked surprised, they had never spoken much about Quinn as Eva's teacher.

"Absolutely" She replied "She could already put my Yale application letter to shame and she's a freshman"

"Is that your little girl?" Gabby asked pointing to the little blonde twirling around.

"Yeah that's Beth" She said with a smile.

"She's adorable" Gabby told her "We should all go out for dinner one night, get to know you properly"

"You don't have to" Antonio told her.

"I'd love to" She replied.

Quinn and Gabby spoke for a little longer. Quinn thought she was a warm and funny person. She had a little of the Santana Lopez fire and confidence about her but was nowhere near at loud or crazy. She thought that Matt was a sweet guy and it was so obvious how much he adored Gabby. Quinn checked in with Beth who was having the time or her life. She made Eva promise not to spend too much time with Beth if it was a little much for her. Eva assured her that they were fine. It was obvious they were becoming fast friends.

Antonio decided to take Quinn to see the garden. He got her coat from the coat rack and took her through to the kitchen.

"He's just parading this new blonde around" Camila spat

"She's a nice girl" Ramon told her.

"A girl her age, not married with a child" Camila said "Antonio shouldn't even be divorced, this is all wrong"

"He's an adult Camila, he can make his own decisions" Ramon replied. "They're happy"

"She gets a man with a good job to take care of her, why wouldn't she be happy" Camila said "He's catholic, in gods' eyes he's still married"

Quinn froze in the door way. She tried to pull back, but Antonio didn't let go of her hand.

"Mom" He said angrily walking into the kitchen.

Quinn felt mortified. All she wanted to do was leave, not be a part of some confrontation.

"Please Antonio" She said "I should just go"

"No" He said "We're together and this is the happiest I've been in a long time; everyone is just going to have to get on board with that"

"Quinn we're happy you're here" Ramon tried.

"Laura and I were miserable" Antonio told his Mother "We've been over for a long time; you need to move on too"

There was so much Quinn wanted to say to defend herself. But she didn't want to get into an argument with Antonio's mother.

"It's getting a little late" She said to Antonio "I'm going to take Beth home"

"Quinn…"Antonio started.

She turned to Antonio's parents and cut him off.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dawson, thank you for having us over this evening" She told them politely "You have a lovely home, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night"

She would not lose any of her class and dignity. She would not get upset and cry and she would not get angry and shout.

Antonio followed her into the hallway and pulled her into the empty library.

"Antonio" She sighed.

"You don't have to go" He told her "She shouldn't have said any of that"

"It's fine" She lied looking down.

"Quinn look at me" He said lifting her chin "I want you here, you mean so much to me, please don't think anything different"

"They're your family" She sighed not seeing how to move past his mother hating her. Not when he was so close to his family.

"My family love you" He told her.

She raised an eyebrow. Part of her wished she could just not take it so personally. Quinn was catholic. She understood those values. Especially since Antonio and Laura had been together for 15 years. But it was hard to not be given a chance. To be seen as some gold-digger when she had worked so hard to support her own family alone.

Antonio could see she was about ready to bolt out of the door.

"I love you" He told her.

"What?" She asked in disbelief.

"I know it's soon" He told her "But I know what I feel, and I know that I don't want to lose you, you make me happy"

Quinn had a few boyfriends over the years. She had even thought she'd loved some of them. The older she got she realized she hadn't, not really. But Antonio made her feel the way no one else had, not in a long time. He made her feel beautiful, confident and like she was special and worth something.

"I love you too" She said softly.

He put his hands on her waist pulling her to him. He gently lifted her chin and kissed her softly. A cough at the door made them both jump. Camila was stood in the doorway.

"Quinn could I speak to you please?" She asked.

"Mom" Antonio warned her.

"It's fine" She told him and turned to Camila "Of course Mrs. Dawson"

"Could you give us a minute?" Camila asked Antonio.

He looked like he had no intention of leaving the room.

"Could you check on Beth for me?" Quinn asked him.

He nodded slowly and left the room.

Camila took a seat on the oversized armchair and gestured for Quinn to do the same. Quinn took a seat resting her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry" Camila told her.

Quinn could tell that it wasn't easy for her to say.

"Antonio was married for a long time and he's your son" She replied "I understand that it must be hard and you're protective over him"

"Are you a person of faith?" Camila asked her.

"I am" She smiled "Catholic"

"I know things are different now" Camila said "In my day you made your bed you could lie in it, I want to be happy that Antonio is happy, it's an adjustment"

"I love your son" Quinn told her "I don't want to jump into something I didn't think was worth it, I wouldn't put my daughter through that. I'm not looking for someone to take care of us, it's been just the two of us for 9 years"

"That must have been hard" Camila said.

"Beth has an amazing father who looks out for her" Quinn replied "But no it wasn't always easy"

"Can you forgive me?" Camila asked.

Quinn had been well and truly hurt by the comments that had been made. But she didn't want things to work with Antonio. Hating his Mother wouldn't be the best start to this new step in their relationship. She may not see eye to eye with Camila, but this could be a good start for them.

"Of course," She told her.

Camila went back to spend time with her guests and Quinn went to find Antonio. He looked nervous while he sat with Eva and Beth. Beth was talking happily completely oblivious to the atmosphere. Eva on the other hand could sense that there was something wrong with her Dad. Quinn sat down beside them. Antonio searched her eyes trying to figure out if she was going to leave, not just the party but him. Quinn took his hand lacing their fingers together. She didn't say a word about the conversation with his mother. Instead she turned to the girls.

"Beth Puckerman" She said with a smile "Who did that beautiful braid?"

"Eva" Beth replied happily "She's so good with hair"

"What game are we playing?" She asked ready to put the earlier events aside.


	10. Chapter 10

Quinn was sat home with Beth. She was sat on the couch braiding Beth's hair while Beth sat on the floor watching the same episode of Liv and Maddy that Quinn had seen at least five times that week. They were having just a chilled day at home enjoying the holidays. Quinn had thrown her hair up into a high ponytail and was sitting around in her sweatpants.

She picked up her phone as it started ringing while she was finishing off Beth's hair.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hey" Antonio said.

"Hey" She said with a smile "How's your day going?"

"I'm sorry to call" He sighed "I've tried Gabby and my parents and Laura"

"What's wrong?" She asked sitting up a little straighter.

"The kids have locked themselves out my apartment" He told her "I can't leave work right now or I could blow this whole case"

"I can pick them up and bring them here" She cut him off.

"I know it's a lot to ask" He said.

"No, it isn't" She told him "Don't worry about it, we weren't busy anyway, you're saving me from re-watching the same episodes on Disney channel all day long"

"I haven't seen this one" Beth argued.

Quinn rolled her eyes. Beth always said that, so she didn't have to turn it off.

"You're amazing" He told her.

"Go do what you need to do" She told him "I'll talk to you later"

"Love you" He told her.

"Love you too" She replied with a smile as she hung up the phone.

She didn't think she would ever get tired of hearing that or saying it. She ran upstairs to put on some jeans and a white t-shirt. She left her hair as it was and put on her coat and boots. She asked Beth to hurry up and do the same.

She drove to Antonio's and saw Eva and Diego arguing outside of the front door about who had locked the key inside. She laughed as she went over to them.

"Hey guys" She said "Your Dad told me what happened, so why don't you both come to my house until your Dad can get out of work"

Half an hour later they were all sat at Quinn's house. Beth took Eva straight upstairs to show off her room. Diego seemed a little unsure of himself. Quinn had gone to the closet in the hallway and pulled out her old chess set. She used to play with her Dad before they had stopped talking.

She was surprised how it came back to her. She was nowhere near good enough to beat Diego though. He was amazing. After two wins Diego came out of his shell. Quinn was happy to find out that he was a funny and friendly little boy.

Eva, Beth and Diego set up the x-box and were happily playing together in the front room later that day. Quinn took the time to go into the kitchen and make a start on dinner. Eva offered to help leaving Beth and Diego trash talking each other over whatever game they were playing. It was all in good fun though, there was nothing aggressive about it.

Quinn decided on lasagna, so she could leave some aside for Antonio when he finished work.

"My mom wants us to come over on Christmas Day" Eva told her as she stirred the sauce.

"I'm sure she misses you" Quinn replied.

"I'm still mad at her" Eva sighed taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"It's ok to be mad" She reassured her "But she is your Mom, maybe it would be nice to spend some time with her"

"Diego wants to go" Eva replied.

"It's just a few hours of your time, I'm sure if you didn't like it and wanted to leave your Dad would come and get you" She suggested.

"I guess I could hear her out" Eva nodded carefully.

"I would love it if I still spoke to my parents" She admitted "I think it's important to try"

After dinner Diego, Eva and Beth all helped clean up the kitchen. Quinn found Beth's just Dance game. They were playing one on one battles. Diego laughed as Quinn tripped on the coffee table as they were doing moves like Jagger. Quinn giggled on the floor before pulling herself back up.

"I want a rematch" She told him as the doorbell rang.

She wiped the tears from her face still laughing as she opened the door.

"Are you crying?" Antonio asked concerned.

"No" She giggled "Laughing, come on in"

Antonio followed her through to the living room where it was Diego vs Eva.

"Dad you missed Quinn falling over the coffee table" Diego called out "It was the funniest thing I've ever seen"

"It looks like you've all bee having fun" He laughed putting a hand around Quinn's waist, "But we should get going so I can get you dinner"

"We've already eaten" Eva told him "Can we stay a bit longer?"

"You fed them too?" He asked.

"I did" She nodded "And there's a plate for you in the kitchen"

"You're too good for me" He said pecking her on the lips.

"Eww" Beth and Diego said together.

"Ok we can stay a little longer if it's ok with Quinn" He said.

"Of course," She replied taking him through to the kitchen.

She took his dinner out of the oven and set it down at the table and got him a beer from the fridge.

"You didn't have to do all this" He told her.

"Don't worry it's not a regular thing" She laughed sitting down.

She put her arms around Antonio as he washed up his plate once he was finished. He turned around to hug her properly, kissing the top of her head.

"It's nice" He said.

"What is?" She asked.

"Coming home to such a happy house" He replied.

Quinn just nodded. It had been nice having such a full household. Cooking for more than just her and Beth. Beth loved having other people around. She was so used to it being just the two of them. Quinn loved it that way as well. But Beth really loved being around other kids even if they were older than her. She liked that she could spend time more freely with Antonio now everything was out in the open.

"Quinn is this your guitar?" Eva called out.

"Yes" She replied.

"Could you teach me some time?" Diego asked.

Quinn smiled taking Antonio's hand and walked back through into the front room.

"Of course," She replied

"You play?" Antonio asked.

"A little" She replied.

"Not as good as my Dad" Beth added.

"No not that good" She laughed.

"Can we work on an acoustic number for sectionals?" Eva asked.

"I think that sounds like a good idea" She replied "When it's ok with your Dad maybe you can come over and we can work on it"

"Any time is fine with me" He said just happy the people who loved most were getting on with the woman he had fallen for.

"Anyway, little miss" She said turning to Beth "It's getting late, you should be going to bed"

"Ok" Beth sighed.

She hugged Eva, Diego and even Antonio wishing them all a goodnight before going upstairs to get ready for bed.

Quinn went upstairs to kiss her goodnight and tuck her in.

"Mom" Beth said as she was leaving "I like Antonio and Eva and Diego"

"I do too" She said with a smile "I'll see you in the morning"


	11. Chapter 11

Christmas had been quiet with Puck overseas and her Mom off travelling with her new Husband. Puck had managed to call Beth on Christmas Day which had made her happy, even just to know that he was ok. She couldn't imagine Christmas was any easier for Isabelle who had been with her parents. Antonio had been with his sister while his kids had been with Laura. He got them on the night. Quinn had spent the day with just her and Beth. Beth had been over the moon with all her presents. Antonio had even dropped one off from him and the kids. He had gotten her a beautiful wooden jewelry box that Beth had loved and put straight in her room. Quinn had gotten Diego a beginner's acoustic guitar and she had gotten Eva a beautiful dress Eva had shown her in a magazine.

Quinn and Antonio had agreed on no gifts. But she had come across some vintage leather boxing gloves and couldn't help herself. He had called her on Christmas morning to thank her and to tell her off for spending her money on him. She pointed out that she had found a beautiful white gold cross necklace hiding under her tree that she knew hadn't come from Beth.

After Christmas, Isabelle was having Puck's family over for a few days and had asked if Beth could go and spend the night. Quinn had agreed. Antonio had suggested they go out to dinner with Gabby and Matt like Gabby had asked at his parent's Christmas party. Quinn agreed.

She had put on a red fitted off the shoulder dress and curled the ends of her hair. She put on her black strappy heels and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was a lot sexier than she usually dressed. But she was feeling a lot more daring these days. Antonio made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

There was a knock at the door which surprised her. Antonio wasn't supposed to be picking her up for another 20 minutes. She went downstairs and opened the door.

A brunette woman she had never seen before was standing on her doorstep.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"You can stay away from my children" The woman told her.

Quinn was a little taken aback when it dawned on her.

"Laura" She said

"I find out over Christmas that my husband is running around with some blonde in her twenties" Laura said angrily "Well you can stay far away from my kids"

Quinn wanted to scream that it was her ex-husband, but she knew there wasn't any point.

"Laura" She said calmly "I really think this is a conversation to have with Antonio"

"Trust me I will" Laura said "He's clearly lost it; I'll make sure I get my kids back too"

"Antonio is the best person for those kids" She retorted, she couldn't help herself.

"What would you know" Laura laughed.

"I know your daughter was devastated when her Mother dropped her for her new boyfriend" She said unable to hold her tongue.

Quinn could feel the anger rising in her. How dare this woman turn up on her doorstep and start shouting at her. Laura and Antonio had been divorced for over a year. Laura was with someone new. Quinn was nothing to do with their family issues. They had occurred long before Quinn was in the picture. Quinn had always felt empathy towards Laura. She understood how difficult things must be for all of them. But now she was crossing a line.

"And I'm supposed to take parenting advice from the slut who got knocked up in high school" Laura laughed coldly "I didn't think that would be the kind of thing to turn Antonio on, he used to have standards"

Quinn reacted out of anger in the moment and slapped her hard across the face.

"What the hell is going on?" Antonio asked jumping out of his car.

"Laura was just leaving" She said firmly glaring at the older woman.

Antonio had never seen Quinn look so angry. He'd never so much as heard her raise her voice before. She was always so calm and put together.

"Laura what are you doing here?" He asked.

"You're just going to stand there and question me when you saw her slap me?" Laura asked in disbelief "I'm the mother of your children in case you forgot"

Antonio looked angry. Quinn didn't want an argument on her doorstep. She was sure she had already provided enough entertainment for her neighbours.

"If you two need to talk, I suggest you leave and do it elsewhere" She said getting ready to shut the door.

"Quinn wait" Antonio said putting a hand on the door to stop her closing it "Laura, you should leave. We'll talk about this later"

"I'm taking the kids back" Laura warned him.

"They don't want to go with you" He told her "Now leave"

Antonio walked into Quinn's house closing the door behind him. He saw Quinn sat on the couch with her head in her hands.

He bent down in front of her taking her hands in his.

"I can't do this" She told him.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I can't have your mother hate me, your ex-wife showing up on my doorstep calling me a slut" She replied "It's all too much, what if Beth had been here"

"Are you saying you want to break up?" He asked standing up.

"I can't talk about this right now" She said standing up and walking through into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"You throw something like that out there and can't even answer me?" He asked with a hint of anger in his voice as he followed her through into the kitchen.

"Antonio right now I'm angry and hurting" She sighed "I don't know what to say right now"

She felt the tears ready to fall. Quinn never cried in front of anyone. There were plenty of times when she had been accused of not feeling anything because she refused to be vulnerable in front of people.

Antonio was ready to storm out when he saw her shoulders shaking. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't" She cried.

He walked in front of her, tears were streaming down her face. He make-up was smudging. He pulled her too him wrapping his arms around her. He stroked her hair as she buried her face in his chest. He just let her cry for a while.

"Talk to me" He told her.

"Your shirt" She said seeing the mascara marks on it.

"Don't worry about it" He said.

"I must look crazy" She said pulling back.

"Still beautiful" He told her "Just with a few smudge marks"

Quinn got a damp paper towel and wiped under her eyes. She sat down at the table and Antonio handed her a glass of water. He sat beside her and took her hand.

"All the things she said, "She explained "It was all the worst things I ever thought about myself, all of the things other people used to say to me when I lost everything"

"What did she say?" He asked the angry edge creeping back.

"It doesn't matter" She said shaking her head "I just don't want her back here and I don't want you to lose your kids because of me"

"Neither of those things are going to happen" He told her "But I don't want to lose you"

"I don't want to lose you either" She admitted "I just don't want to ruin things for you"

"Quinn before you I was sat alone every night reheating pizza" He laughed "You haven't ruined everything"

"I mean I slapped your ex" She pointed out "That may have ruined things"

"Knowing how cool and level headed you are she probably deserved it" He said "But that was some hit, you ever think about boxing?"

"I'm not sure your masculinity could take me beating you at your favourite sport" She joked.

Antonio was happy to see her smiling. He thought she was going to throw in the towel. He was close to walking out as well. He knew he was going to have serious words with Laura. He loved Quinn and his kids, he wasn't going to let her take away either of them.

"Oh god your sister" She said.

"We don't have to go" He told her.

"Yes, we do" She said "I need as many people in your life on side as I can get"

"Gabby already likes you" He pointed out.

"Well not when we stand them up for dinner they won't" She sighed "Call her and let her know we're running late"

After Quinn, had redone her make-up she was ready to go. Antonio looked at her like it was the first time he had seen her. With everything that had been going on he hadn't really noticed what she was wearing.

"New dress?" He asked eyes running over her body in the figure-hugging dress.

"Yes" she replied biting her lip.

"Are you sure you want to go?" He asked running a finger over her bare shoulder.

"There'll be time for that later" She told him "come on, we're already late"

When they arrived at the restaurant Matt and Gabby were already sat at the table. Quinn apologized for making them wait for so long.

"Don't worry about it" Matt told her "We were late to with Gabby getting ready"

Quinn had a good time getting to know Gabby and Matt more. She hadn't forgotten the worries from earlier, but she was feeling a lot better about things. Gabby was full of stories about Antonio as a kid. He was apparently quite the troublemaker. Quinn loved the dynamic between them. She was sad she'd never had that with her sister. She was interested in learning about Gabby's time as a firefighter but now she was back working as a paramedic since they were fostering a little boy called Louie. She had looked at the adorable pictures Gabby had shown her and instantly saw how everyone was so in love with him. Gabby and Quinn had made plans to go out for drinks one night just the two of them. Quinn thought maybe Antonio had told her what had happened with Laura and that's why she was making such an effort. Antonio reassured her on the way home that it wasn't the case. Gabby just liked her, which made Quinn happy.

Antonio had been quick to settle the bill and take her home. Seeing her in the dress all night had been driving him crazy. He wanted to be alone with her and make sure she couldn't think about leaving him again.

Quinn was lay with her head on his chest.

"I wish it could be like this every day" She told him not sure if he was still awake or not.

"It can be" He told her sitting up.

"What do you mean?" She laughed.

"We can move in together" He said seriously.

"Antonio it's been two months" She pointed out.

"I thought you were going to leave today" He told her "I know I want you every day, I think we both know how we feel"

"The kids…" She started.

"So, we try it out" He said "It could not work out, but I think it will, I'm not saying marriage tomorrow, but if we could have more days like when I come home to you and all the kids then I want that"

Quinn was not the type of person to rush into anything. But the last few weeks with Antonio and all the kids together had been amazing.

"We need to ask them" She said.

"Is that a yes?" He asked.

Quinn nodded and giggled as he rolled her underneath him kissing her with a smile on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

Quinn sat on the bed behind Beth brushing her hair. Diego was at his Mom's and Eva was working on her English assignment.

They had been settled into the new house for a few weeks now and it was truly the happiest Quinn had felt in a long time. It was something she had convinced herself wasn't important to her. But now that she had someone who cared about her and loved Beth as well she knew she had made the right decision sticking with Antonio Dawson. They had a lot of differences but the things they related on were the important things. Family above all else was the highest priority.

"Mommy" Beth said looking over her shoulder.

"What is it sweetie?" Quinn asked setting the hairbrush down on the bed.

"When is Daddy going to call?" Beth asked looking down.

Quinn bit her lip and pulled Beth in for a cuddle. When Puck was away he always made sure he called Beth as often as he could. But it had been a few days since they had heard from him. He had been away for weeks. Quinn always admired how strong Beth was. She couldn't imagine being away from her father for such long periods of time when she was a little girl, not knowing how he was. It broke her heart to see her little girl so worried.

"I'm sure he's going to call as soon as he can" Quinn reassured her "Even if he can't call right now I know he's thinking about you and missing you so much"

"Do you think he'll be back for my dance recital?" She asked.

"I hope so baby" Quinn replied, "We can invite Isabelle if you'd like"

Beth just nodded. Quinn wasn't used to seeing her little girl so quiet and withdrawn.

"Do you want to watch a movie before bed?" She suggested holding out her hand to Beth.

When they got downstairs Eva was sat on the sofa finishing up her homework. Beth ran over to look through the DVD's. Quinn knew fine well that Moana would be the movie of choice, they had watched it every time it was Beth's turn to choose.

Quinn went through to the kitchen while Beth set up the DVD player. She opened the cupboard and got some popcorn ready in a big bowl to share. She grabbed her phone that beeped with a new message.

 _Hey Q, we're back next week so get ready for a visit, we need to catch up – S_

Quinn sent back a quick message as she went back through to the front room carrying the popcorn. She settled down on the sofa putting the bowl down on the coffee table. She smiled as Eva tried to contain an eyeroll as Moana started. They exchanged a knowing look.

Eva was so good with Beth. She knew it must have been a difficult adjustment for her. It was for all of them. But Eva was very patient with Quinn's excitable 9-year-old. Beth had never had siblings or cousins to play with. Quinn never saw her sister and her children. For Beth the novelty hadn't worn off yet, Quinn suspected that it was a little harder for a teenager having a little girl following you round begging you to play.

Beth snuggled up to Quinn holding her tighter than normal. Quinn stroked her hair as she hugged her back.

She fell asleep part way through the movie. Quinn pulled a blanket from the sofa over her.

"How's your assignment going?" She asked Eva who had finally set down her book.

"I think it's ok" Eva replied.

"It's your English assignment, I'm sure it's better than ok" She laughed.

Eva was a terrific writer but sometimes she lacked confidence in her abilities.

"I'm good with this, I'm a bit worried about the show choir competition" Eva replied.

"Well lucky for you, I have some friends visiting soon, they're show choir national champions and I'm going to ask them to come in for a practice" She told her.

"Is Beth ok?" Eva asked changing the subject "She's seemed a little quiet today"

Quinn nodded looking down at the little girl who was asleep against her.

"She just misses her Dad" She replied, "She gets worried when he's away"

"I get it" Eva nodded "It's how I feel when Dad goes undercover"

Quinn realized that was something she had never really discussed with Antonio. She worried about him when he went to work but he always came home the same day or the next day at least. He hadn't been on an undercover assignment for days or weeks with no contact. She wasn't sure how she would handle that. Or how Beth would. Quinn knew it was a conversation they would need to have. She wanted to know what to expect at least, how often things like that happened. She had no idea.

After a little while Eva had decided to go to bed. Quinn could feel herself drifting off. She jumped feeling a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled as she looked up at Antonio. She checked the clock. It was 1am. She had actually fallen asleep.

"Hey" She said sleepily.

"Hi" He replied kissing the top of her head "How was your night?"

"Good" She nodded "Beth is a little down, so we watched a movie, Eva finished her assignment and went to bed"

"I'll put her to bed" He said lifting a sleeping Beth and carrying her upstairs.

Quinn smiled as she watched the way he carefully lifted her making sure not to wake her. Things were not going to be easy, but she didn't doubt that he was worth it.

She wanted to talk to him about Puck and about what Eva had said about him going undercover, but she was exhausted. It wasn't the best time for a serious conversation. Besides it wasn't something that had come up for them yet, she couldn't ask him not to ever do it either. She wasn't sure how to share her worries. She knew who he was.

They had just settled down into bed when her phone rang.


	13. Chapter 13

Puck had been injured overseas but he was alive. He was being flown back to Chicago. Quinn was relieved that he was going to be ok. He had spoken on the phone with Beth. She was going to spend time with him and Isabelle when he arrived home. Quinn couldn't imagine how Isabelle must be feeling. She knew they both dreaded getting a phone call like that. She was just happy that this time things had gone the way that they had. It had been a few days getting the full story and update, but Puck had called as soon as he was up to it. All they had known originally was that it was touch and go for awhile and Quinn had been mentally preparing herself to give her daughter some very different news.

She knew that she had dark circles under her eyes. She had been so stressed out. She had put show choir on the back burner for the time being. She was only just feeling like she could breath.

Antonio had barely been home, he had been working on a big case that again he couldn't talk about. It was around 11 and the kids were in bed when he walked through the front door.

"Hey are you ok?" He asked joining her on the couch.

"It's been a rough few days" She replied letting her head fall against his chest as he pulled her in to a hug. "Puck called today, they're flying him home, but he's set to make a full recovery"

"That's good news" He said stroking her hair.

"I was really scared" She told him softly "What if I'd had to tell…"

"But you didn't, and you don't" He said lifting her head to look her in the eyes "Everything is going to be ok"

"Between you and Puck I'm surprised I get any sleep" She sighed.

"You don't need to worry about me" He reassured her "I'm always going to come home"

A knock at the door made her jump. She looked at the clock, it was 11:30 at night. Antonio jumped up and went to the door. She held her breath.

"You must be Antonio" She heard a loud voice "Well aren't you going to let us in"

Quinn jumped up from the sofa and ran to the front door. She had completely forgotten that Santana and Brittany were coming to stay.

"Wow Q you look like hell" Santana greeted her pushing past Antonio to give her a hug.

"Nice to see you too" She laughed hugging her friend back tightly.

"We heard about Private Puckerman" Santana said a little softer "Is everything ok?"

Quinn just nodded before turning to Antonio who was stood looking a little lost.

"Antonio, this is Santana and Brittany" She said introducing them as she gave Brittany a hug "This is Antonio"

"It's nice to meet you" Brittany told him with a smile while Santana looked him up and down.

"Not bad for you" Santana nodded "Where is my beautiful niece?"

"Santana you are aware of the time?" Quinn asked raising an eyebrow.

Quinn took her friends through the living room and went through to the kitchen to get them something to drink. She sighed as Antonio followed her through.

"I am so sorry" She told him "With everything that happened I completely forgot they were coming"

"Don't worry about it" He told her putting his arms around her "You've had a lot to think about"

"You're amazing you know that" She laughed as he kissed her forehead.

"They're your family, of course they're welcome anytime" He told her.

Quinn was almost certain that after a few days with Santana and Brittany he wouldn't be so understanding. She wasn't sure that she would be. She had been caught off guard when Santana said they were coming in a few days and could they stay with her, she had agreed without thinking because she had been so preoccupied. They were family but spending too much time together didn't always go so well. Beth on the other hand would be thrilled. Not that she wasn't, but she would have been more thrilled if they were in a hotel room. Santana 24/7 could be a little much. She was really happy to see them though.

Antonio excused himself and headed up to bed. Quinn had sat up catching up on things. She had told them all about show choir, Antonio and his kids. She had put them up in the guest room. She knew tomorrow would be a busy day and that Beth would have the best surprise. She wasn't going to see her dad for a few more days and it was the perfect distraction to keep her spirits up.


	14. Chapter 14

Antonio was taking longer doing his paperwork than normal. He was usually making sure he was one of the first out of the door.

"Aren't you usually playing happy families by now?" Adam asked looking at the clock.

Adam and Jay teased him on a regular basis about how quickly things had progressed with Quinn, but they could see how happy he was.

"Her friends are staying with us" He replied.

"Single friends?" Adam asked

"They're married" Antonio laughed "And I don't think you'd be their type"

"You've been avoiding hot lesbians?" Adam asked raising an eyebrow while ignoring Kim's eyeroll.

"Let's just say being here for 14 hours is more peaceful than my house at the moment. Brittany is ok but Santana is the loudest person I've ever met" He replied finishing off his paperwork.

He was worried with how much his kids had warmed to Santana as well. She made Beth happy which was great, but she wasn't the best influence. Thankfully there was only one more night to get through.

"Didn't you say they were going to Molly's tonight?" Kim asked.

"We're going" Adam jumped in.

Antonio rolled his eyes. He knew he couldn't get out of it. They were important to Quinn, so he had to make an effort. Eva was babysitting Beth and watching Diego.

He had arranged to meet them straight from work, so he'd brought a change of clothes with him.

When he got to Molly's Quinn was already sat at a table with her friends. They were laughing at something Brittany said. He loved the way Quinn's face lit up when she laughed. She looked so carefree. After the last few days she'd had he was happy to see her like that.

"Hey" He greeted her snaking his arms around her from behind kissing her cheek.

"You made it" She exclaimed turning around to kiss him properly.

"Detective" Santana greeted "Save the frisking for later"

"Santana" He nodded.

"Save your snark" Quinn laughed.

"I'm just glad to see you happy Q" Santana said a bit more softly.

"You were like a dragon who became a dolphin" Brittany agreed.

Antonio raised an eyebrow in confusion. Quinn just squeezed his hand as a silent signal not to ask.

"Can I get you ladies a drink?" He asked

"I like him" Santana replied, "Tequila's all round?"

"Absolutely not" Quinn replied shaking her head.

"Live a little Q" Santana sighed.

Antonio got some Tequila's for Brittany and Santana and a glass of wine for Quinn.

"Thank you" She said pecking him on the cheek." How was your day?"

"Better now" He replied running his thumb over the back of her hand.

Quinn could make him feel like a lovesick teenager with just one eyebrow raise. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was. Even if she did come with some crazy friends.

The night hadn't been as bad as he thought. Santana was actually a lot of fun. She'd even knocked Adam down a peg or two which had boosted her up in his opinion. He liked being out with Quinn, but he liked being home with her even more. They hadn't had much alone time in the last few days.

Santana was doing what she did best, pulling focus with a million dramatic stories.

Quinn raised an eyebrow as Antonio's hand that had been resting on her knee started to run up her thigh. He smirked as he saw her bite her lip.

"Do you want to go home?" He whispered in her ear as his fingers brushed higher making her eyes widen.

She nodded before turning to Santana.

"We really have to get going" She told them "You guys can stay out longer, you've got the spare key?"

"Be safe kids" Santana laughed.

Quinn just rolled her eyes as she said goodbye.

Antonio was glad he had driven to Molly's. He was even happier to see the kids were all in bed. He practically pulled Quinn up the stairs.

"What's gotten into you?" She giggled as he pulled down the zip of her dress.

"I just miss our alone time" He replied pushing her back onto the bed kissing down her neck.

Quinn couldn't reply his fingers running over her hip bone made her breath catch in her throat.

He pulled her dress over her head before scattering kisses all over her body.

She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He wanted her to feel loved and wanted.

"I love you" He told her between kisses.

"I love you too" She replied softly.

He groaned as they heard the door shut downstairs. If thing's went any further, he'd just have to listen to Santana go on about how they were at it like rabbits. She didn't even care if she said it in front of the kids. It made Quinn feel awkward as well.

"Sorry" She sighed.

"Don't be" He reassured her rolling over and pulling her with him, so she was resting on his chest.

"You're amazing you know that" She replied kissing him lightly.

"Wanky" They heard through the door.

"Tomorrow?" He asked.

"Tomorrow" She replied rolling her eyes snuggling back in.


End file.
